Jyleen is a baby from Kenya. She is the last born in a family of three children. Her family is not well off financially, but both of her parents work hard to provide for their family. The family has medical coverage through a national program but their request to fund this surgery was rejected since they have exhausted their yearly limit. The family cannot raise the required amount of money to pay for the care that she needs.
Jyleen was diagnosed with spina bifida before she was born and had a repair done immediately at birth, and she recovered well. One month post the surgery, she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and had a shunt inserted to help drain the excess fluid in her brain. The shunt later failed and so she had a follow up procedure to help her. Her family chose to bring her to our medical partner BethanyKids for post-operation clinic reviews and on arrival, Jayleen was examined, and the doctors realized that she was put on a metallic shunt which may cause serious infections so she has now been scheduled to undergo a surgery to revise the shunt.
Jyleen has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition in which excess cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain and increases intracranial pressure. As a result of her condition, Jyleen has been experiencing an increasing head circumference, sunken eyes, high fevers and poor feeding. Without treatment, Jyleen will experience severe physical and developmental delays.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare, is requesting $720 to cover the cost of surgery for Jyleen that will treat her hydrocephalus. The procedure is scheduled to take place on February 16th and will drain the excess fluid from Jyleen’s brain. This will reduce intracranial pressure and greatly improve her quality of life. With proper treatment, Jyleen will hopefully develop into a strong, healthy young girl.
Jyleen’s mother says, “Every time I think that she is now done with her treatment, something else comes up.”